Full Moon o Sagashite, Vol. 1
by Arina Tanemura
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Only 7 volumes long. It’s not a super long — or super involved series. It’s cute and fun, and actually deals with the serious topic of suicide and retribution. It doesn’t seriously deal with it, but it’s a serious topic. It has a sad/cute feeling like Fruits Basket. Tanemura has a really distinct drawing & story style. Always very sweet. Maybe the story is a bit young for me, but I recommended to read at least once.
About a 12 year old girl (Mitsuki) with a benign tumor on her vocal chords. Her only wish is to sing. But, if she has surgery — she will have to have her vocal chords removed and won’t be able to sing again.
She is visited by a pair of shinigami (death-god/grim-reaper) whose mission is to claim her soul. The shinigami are all human souls who’d commit suicide when they were humans, and now cursed to work sending souls to the afterlife.
Mitsuki’s charm appeal to the shinigami who not only protect her but transform her into a 16 year old girl (sans disease). As a 16 year old she runs away from home, and auditions as a singer debuting as “Full Moon”. As the shinigami help heal her heart (and body) she helps them discover what they’ve lost, and find peace.
I read this because I was writing a blog post for work about the symbolism of rabbits in Japanese mythology. This series is about the moon (you can see my confusion) — but it is NOT about rabbits. Onto the next…
manga hoarder 